onetracker
Well-Known Member
Huge inspiration to me as a young Midfielder. He was an absolute artist. Godspeed…
Remembering Pele
- Thread starter onetracker
- Start date
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
The first organized sport I played was baseball. I was a scrawny, near-sighted kid, and I wasn‘t all that good, but it’s what everybody else did, so I kept at it.
In 1976 a family from Cleveland moved in, and both boys were soccer players. Coincidentally, the NASL was starting to gain attention in suburban New Jersey. I was immediately hooked. Bye-bye baseball.
The following year, I bought Pele’s book, My Life and The Beautiful Game, and read it over and over. It was my introduction to soccer (and sports) as something that could be far more than just what you did to pass time.
Until all of this bike stuff took me over, soccer was my identity, and Pele was a key part of that happening.
In 1976 a family from Cleveland moved in, and both boys were soccer players. Coincidentally, the NASL was starting to gain attention in suburban New Jersey. I was immediately hooked. Bye-bye baseball.
The following year, I bought Pele’s book, My Life and The Beautiful Game, and read it over and over. It was my introduction to soccer (and sports) as something that could be far more than just what you did to pass time.
Until all of this bike stuff took me over, soccer was my identity, and Pele was a key part of that happening.
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onetracker
Well-Known Member
Great book! I started playing soccer at a very young age. My Dad would get a haircut and a shave at the Diamond Bridge Barber Shop every Saturday. Those guys only spoke Italian and only cared about soccer. The grainy TV was always playing soccer and the radio only played opera. They taught me moves in the shop & out back in the dirt, gave me books, took me to see the Cosmos, cut my hair, taught me how to shave with a straight razor and used soccer as a metaphor to teach me many life lessons. Soccer cemented our bond and in our eyes, it was like Pele was other worldly.
I remember going to Meadowlands to watch the Cosmos play with Pele being the main attraction, some other names on that particular team that I recall seeing were Franz Beckenbaur (sp?) and Giorgio Canaglia (again, sp?), Similar to stories above, formative time in my life as I was just a young pup that then grew up to play soccer for all team sports.
Aresab310
formerly RSabarese
Same here, that was an awesome time. He was a hero back then! My family members all felt closer at that time too; at least from my memories!
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Chinaglia LOL
Canaglia means crook (non that he didn’t have some issues with the law back in the old country…)
I remember growing up Pelé being a mythical name, respected by everyone, even those that like me couldn’t care less about soccer. RIP